~Chae Soo~
"Chae Soo! Chae Soo! Chae Soo! "
I heard everyone cheering my name as I prepared to shoot the ball. For now, everything was under control. Every player on my team was following my lead. I adjusted my stance and went for the shot. A guy from Class A rushed toward me, but I knew my teammates would handle him.
I feinted to his left and signaled my teammates to move to the left as well. They were right behind me, close enough to respond but not enough to give away our plan. As the opponent moved to tackle me from his left, I sprinted in that direction. My teammates converged around him, cutting off his path. Seizing the opportunity, I took the shot. The ball soared through the air and swished through the basket. It was a field goal, and we scored a point.
The crowd erupted, chanting our names once more. It seemed like not just Class A and B, but students from all over had gathered to watch-everyone except her.
Coach called us over for a drink's break. Seizing the moment to check my phone, I headed toward the bench where my so-called fake girlfriend was sitting.
"Wow Chae Soo, you were so amazing, seriously!" said Mi Na.
"Please give me my phone, I need to check something." I said ignoring her fake appreciation.
"What do you want to check? Your girlfriend is here, so whose text do you want to see?" teased Mi Na, maybe to show everyone around us that such a loving couple we are, but only we know the truth.
"I don't have much time, the break might end soon, give it to me." I replied a bit annoyingly. She handed me my phone, but the look on her face made it clear—I'd have to deal with her later because of this.
I took my phone from her and looked for anything important I've missed during the match. Nothing much, just a text from my mom. I opened the chat to see what she had sent me.
"We are going out for a movie tonight, got 4 tickets! U, dad, I, and ask Na Ri to join us. Will be fun! :)", she has texted, but no way in hell will I ask her to come with us.
My mood was already ruined. I knew my teammates could handle the match from here; we were ahead, and even if they didn't score again, we were still likely to win. It was best for me to leave and make sure Na Ri didn't come along.
I told my coach that something urgent had come up and I needed to leave the match. He agreed right away, knowing that our chances of winning were strong.
As I made my way out, I noticed that Mi Na was following me. I headed straight to my locker and dialed a number, but when she didn't answer, I left her a text.
No, I'm not talking about Na Ri—I mean my homeroom teacher. Double tick. She'll see my message before I get a chance to tell Na Ri. I closed my locker and turned to leave, but Mi Na stepped into my path, blocking my way.
"What was that earlier? Why can't you act well when you were the one who asked for it?" Asked Mi Na, but I didn't answer. I didn't want to. I was tired and just wanted to go to class and sleep, everyone's busy with the match anyway, no one will notice.
"Wow, so you're not even answering me now? Did you forget? It was you who asked me to be your girlfriend, so shouldn't you atleast act accordingly?" She said in a frustrating tone.
"I remember very well but maybe you forgot to mention that it was a mutual decision. You did it to be popular." I answered matching her tone.
She gave a fake smile and said, "Exactly! That's right," she showed a thumbs up and continued, " atleast we know why I did it. You were popular and I was a new student and I wanted to be popular as well, so I agreed to be your girlfriend. But Chae Soo.... Why did you do it?
I mean, come on, you are perfect and a popular student, why would you need a fake girlfriend? What possibly could be the reason? Ah, don't tell me, is this to make someone jealous? Do you like someone? Tell me who's this girl? Who do you like?"
"Na Ri..... I mean Na Ri is here, I have something to talk to her about."
I was on my way to meet her, so it's good she had come over on her own. I brushed past Mi Na and headed straight for Na Ri, who was standing with her friend Yu Mi. Perhaps they were here to watch the match. They both looked our way and stopped mid stride.
I looked at Na Ri and the instant our eyes met, she averted her gaze. I didn't mind—actually, it was exactly what I hoped for. As she was about to leave with her friend, I called out her name.
"Hey, Na Ri, I have something to tell you, " she halted in her tracks, her eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made me falter. Suddenly, I found myself unable to meet her gaze, my own eyes instinctively darting away.
"Well, my mom is planning for a movie night. We've got 4 tickets, so she wants you to come with us." I said.
"Oh... Okay I will talk to her," she said and was heading out.
"What will you say her? Will you be joining us?" I asked.
"What kind of question is that? Of course I will. It's you who's the problem, not her. If she wants me to join her, then I'm all in."
"Oh... And you think I'll just let you join us?" I laughed, a sharp edge of sarcasm in my voice.
"Well, Miss Na Ri, if you believe I came here to tell you that you have to come with us, you're mistaken. There's no way in hell I'm letting you join us and risk ruining my mood."
She looked both frustrated and perhaps a touch angry. "So, how are you planning to stop me, hmm?" she demanded, her tone bristling with agitation. "I'll just say yes to your mom, and if you have a problem with that, well, *you* can stay home, Mr. Chae-Soo."
"Don't worry. I've already taken care of it," I said. Na Ri's eyes glinted with curiosity as she studied me, and we both pretended not to notice the watchful gaze of Yu Mi and Mi Na, who stood there, still listening intently to our conversation.
"Well, I already informed our homeroom teacher that you'd be taking care of the field cleanup after the basketball match," I continued with a hint of satisfaction. "She was thrilled to hear it. She said, 'I knew it. Na Ri is a responsible student and the class president—of course she would want to help out.' And since you're her favorite student, I trust you won't let her down now." I let a smirk play at the corners of my mouth.
"Thank you!" She replied cheerfully.
What? Is she crazy? Why is she thanking me? Shouldn't she be angry about this? I wondered to myself.
But then I remembered—this is Na Ri we're talking about. Mature and smart, that's the reason my parents adore her and why nearly every student and teacher respects her.
But I didn't care. She could be as mature as she wanted—what mattered was that I had made my move, and now she wouldn't be coming with us. That was the important part.
"You're most welcome," I said with a touch of satisfaction before turning on my heel and leaving. I figured I might as well get some rest before the match ended. Na Ri would handle the cleanup after school.
I just want her to hate me. It's the only way I can hope to lessen my guilt, if that's even possible.
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~Na Ri~
"I can't believe what just happened," said Yu Mi, "I mean how can he do that? He is so mean." she continued.
Months ago, when Chae Soo began to ignore me, a similar thought had crossed my mind.
How–can–he–do–this?
Initially, I believed he was merely giving me space after the accident, a gesture of consideration. But as time wore on, I realised I had been mistaken.
When I asked him why he was ignoring me, he just said, "Because I want to." I thought he was joking, as he often did. Our relationship had always been full of playful moments. But as time went on, it became clear that he was serious about what he had said.
Since then, I've found myself asking the same questions over and over: What did I do wrong? What could have led him to ignore me like this? Is it because of what I said few days before the accident?
"Hey, Na Ri, what are you thinking? I'm asking you, what are you going to do now?" Yu Mi's voice jolted me back to reality.
"Oh… yeah, I mean, yes, I'm listening," I stammered. "Well, I suppose I should do the cleaning. It'll also be a help to our homeroom teacher, Ms. In Na."
"Ok, then, I'll help you!" Yu Mi insisted.
"No, it's fine, you don't have to do it. Besides, you have your swimming class later. Let's just go watch the rest of the match."
As we headed toward the field, Mi Na came over, waving at us with a bright smile.
"Hey guys, I'm Mi Na. I hope you've heard of me—I'm the transfer student who joined Class A a week ago." She paused, her eyes flickering with a hint of mischief. "And, well, I'm also Chae Soo's girlfriend."
She studied us for a moment before continuing, "I couldn't help but overhear how he was talking to you, and I assume there's some tension between you two. I don't mean to intrude, but I'm curious—what's your relationship with him, Na Ri?"
"Well, he's my ex…" I began, then quickly added, "Oh, don't make that face. He's not my ex-boyfriend, but my ex–best friend."
She raised an eyebrow, then laughed, "Wait, does that even count as a thing?"
"Well, if people like your boyfriend exist, then yes, things like this do happen," Yu Mi interjected on my behalf. "By the way, if you're so curious about it, why don't you ask your boyfriend yourself?"
"Sure, why not?" Mi Na replied with a thin smile before turning on her heel and walking away. "See you guys around."
"She's weird," said Yu Mi.
"Let's ignore her. I think we should go and watch the match. Now we can even support our class as Chae Soo isn't playing." I said and we both laughed on this.
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